Material purifying machine



April 30, 1968 F. SALETE 3,380,585

MATERIAL PURIFYING momma Filed Oct. 15, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I lrgnu luggm I Im/enfor Fe/[pe \jd/e, a

F. SALETE April 30, 1968 MATERIAL PURIFYING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1965 April 30, 1968 F. SALETE 3,380,585

MATERIAL PURIFYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fe/ipe al/614a MEM April 30, 1968 F. SALETE 3,380,585

MATERIAL PURIFYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 fnvenior' Fe/ip Saleie,

F. SALETE April 30, 1968 MATERIAL PURIFYING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 15, 1965 3,380,585 MATERIAL PURIFYING MACHINE Felipe Salete, Mexico City, Mexico, assignor to Refaccionaria de Molinos S.A., San Antonio, Baja California, Mexico Filed Oct. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 496,357 11 Claims. (Cl. 20937) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A particulate material purifying machine having sieve means mounted below an air suction chamber and extending in a substantially oblique orientation with respect thereto, along with sifting means for the particulate material spaced from and extending below the sieve means. Drive means are resiliently mounted on the machine frame and are operatively connected to the sieve means and to the sifting means for vibrating same.

This invention relates to the art of purifying grains, e.g. cereal grains and similar produce. More particularly, the invention relates to a machine for purifying particulate material, such as groats, grains, semolas, semolinas and grits by means of removing undesired materials such as dust, bran, impurities and obnoxious elements.

The above-mentioned operation as performed by the present invention is intended to produce a higher yield of purified material by substantially reducing vibrations inherent to this type of apparatus. This results in the arrangement of the component parts of the present invention and in particular to the action of a floating impeller mechanism combined with a flexible, floating, shock-absorbing suspension system.

In prior art particulate material purifying machines, the amount of particulate material able to be purified is directly proportional to the size of the machine. Thus, the point has been reached whereby the great size or bulk of present day machines acts as a serious limitation on the speed in which the machine can operate and the particulate material that can be processed. The resulting inefficiency acts as a loss to agriculture economy.

Further, since vibration is a necessary step in the operation of such machines, the large size of present day machines necessitates an increased probability of these machines vibrating themselves apart. Thus, the useful life span of present day machines is relatively short.

Further vibrations are produced just from driving the machine. Prior art machines, with their large size, require that the driving mechanism be substantial. The vibrations generated from such driving mechanisms are transmitted to the machine and its various components. In present day machines, the components (sieves, sieve carriers, product transporters, etc.) lack operational synchronization and are directly attached to the machines supporting frame members. As such, said components are directly subjected to these undesirable vibrations. Prior art attempts to reduce this undesirable vibration have only resulted with smaller machines producing correspondingly smaller yields.

The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages by means of an impeller mechanism as part of the machines operational parts to be further explained hereinbelow. Said mechanism includes in the machine a floating support arrangement capable of more rapid impeller operation with substantially no undesirable vibrations. Additionally, a floating flexible suspension system is provided for said operational parts. This suspension system is capable of absorbing any vibration generated by movement of said operating parts that might be due to a lack of synchronization of said parts.

;; ted States Patent 0 3,38%,585 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 IQQ A further feature included in the present invention relates to the design of the structure making possible fast and efiicient adjustments of angular inclination of certain moving parts.

The nature of the floating suspension of the abovementioned components and mechanisms substantially absorb vibrations and precludes the possibility of the undesirable vibrations being passed on to the apparatus frame as in prior art devices.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide a particulate material purifying machine capable of allowing a considerable increase in speed of operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a purifying machine capable of higher yields per operating period, i.e. greater efliciency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a particulate material purifying machine capable of absorbing undesirable vibrations through flexible, floatingly-supported impeller mechanism for the machines moving parts.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a purifying machine substantially vibration-free, having higher operating speed with a resulting increase in production yet reduced in overall size.

Another still further object of this invention is to provide an economical, substantially vibration-free particulate material purifying machine.

The invention further resides in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts concerning the machine in which the invention is embodied. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof, and with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the general arrangement of component parts of the invented machine.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine with parts broken to show structure impelling means and structure inclination adjustment and suspension means.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of the FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation view of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view in detail of flexible elements showing the combined arrangement of suspension springs for the impelling mechanism.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical view taken along lines 77 of FIGURE 6.

In the drawings, similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the views.

FIGURES 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the invention generally indicated by 10. Air suction means shown by 12 comprise a pair of longitudinally extending air suction chambers arranged side-by-side. The air suction operation takes place by means of powered conventional air suction devices not shown. Although the pair of suction chambers 12 are preferred, the present invention may utilize a single air suction chamber. A pair of oblong columns or pedestals 11 are shown vertically positioned at opposite ends of suction chambers 12. These pedestals define a central support for said suction chambers as well as for the entire machine. As shown in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5, pedestals 11 comprise four walls leaving an inner hollow portion 38 wherein several structural components and parts of the apparatus are secured to be further described hereinbelow.

A pair of feed chutes indicated by 39 are shown admachine shown in jacent an upper front end portion of suction chambers 12. In order to facilitate inspecting the flow of material to undergo purification, each feed chute duct may be provided with a spy window made of clear plastic or the like shown by 41 A pair of chute-like discharge outlets 42 are positioned one each at the rear end of said suction chambers. Said discharge chutes are aligned with feed chutes 39.

At the upper rear end portion of each suction chamber, there are upwardly oriented suction ducts 41 (only one being shown) where lighter purified material such as debris, dust, etc. is extracted in a direction indicated by arrow 43.

Extending longitudinally along each upper, outside lateral portion of each of suction chambers 12 is a slotted sheet or laminate 44; said slotted laminate in cluding movable plates 56 provided with coinciding slots. Said plates 56 are utilized for operably adjusting the intake of air entering the machine in order to stratify and separate groats, grits, bran, etc. from the material fed into the machine. Handles or knobs 45 are each connected to a number of said laminate plates 56. By means of said handles 45, a desired number of plates may be operated by increasing or diminishing their respective apertures to increase or diminish, according to operational requirements, the amount of air intake supplied to the machine.

A pair of spy holes 47 are positioned below said movable plates 56 and adjacent opposite ends of said suction chambers 12.

A conventional type sieve carrier structure is identified by 16, and carries a plurality of sieves defining a corresponding number of sieve levels or floors. It should be noted that to operate as such, each one of said sieves is provided with different mesh aperture gauges. Accordingly, in the present invention, an upper level sieve has a wider mesh aperture or screen than the one located immediately below. In order to facilitate a front to rear advance of the product being processed said sieves are adjustably inclined to be further described below.

Immediately underneath said sieve carrier 16 a sitter or purified product transporter 17 is shown. Purified material from sieves 49 is collected by this structure and discharged along an inclined floor through a number of ducts 51 positioned on the lower portion of said sitter 17. It should be noted that while sieve carrier 16 is intended to vibrate at an incline, sifter 17 vibrates horizontally. However, only a slight inclination is required along a lower portion 53 of sifter 17 to facilitate discharge of the purified product.

FIGURES 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 show in detail impeller and suspension mechanisms for said sieve carrier 16 and sifter 17. Additionally, FIGURES 2, 4 and show a structural arrangement for the suspension and the inclination and displacement adjustment for sieve carrier 16 provided for said sieves 49.

The impeller mechanism includes a drive pulley 14 fixed to a drive axle 31 and being driven by any conventional belt drive system, or the like, not shown. Drive axle 31 is supported at each end by means of a pair of journal bearings 32, which in turn are fixed to the upper portion of a corresponding set of ellipsoidal spring blades 15, the bottom portion of which are fixedly mounted on each side of pedestal 11 by means of brackets 33. Blades are provided with a number of inserted reinforcing plates 58 at the central-upper and lower portions thereof. These plates and spring blades may be made of any adequate metal, rubber or combination thereof. It should be noted that since the lower part of said springs 15 is attached to bracket 33, and the journal bearings 32 are attached to the upper portion of said springs 15 as shown in FIG- UR-E 6, this particular arrangement provides, in combination with further structures to be described, a flexible floating suspension for the impeller mechanism and inhibits undesirable vibrations resulting from the motion 4 of the moving parts to be transmitted to the rest of the apparatus. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, the present invention may be provided with one, two or more structures described above with reference to parts 14 and 15. However, for operational and practical purposes two of such are preferred.

The rotatable drive axle 31 extends outwardly of and through hollow portions 37 in said supporting central pedestal 11, and has a plurality of eccentric plates 21, 21' and 22 mounted thereon.

Eccentric plates 21 and 21' are operatively connected by means of rods 19 as shown in FIGURE 4 to sieve carrier 16 and, due to the reciprocating movement imparted to rods 19 by the rotating plates 21 and 21', a vibrational movement is imparted to said carrier. In a similar manner, eccentric plate 22 is operatively connected by rod 60 and flexible suspending straps 20 to product sifter 17 for pro viding said sitter with a vibrational movement in response to reciprocation of rod 61 Sifter 17 is fioatably and flexibly suspended by means of straps 18, said straps having their upper ends attached to bracket 61 which in turn is attached to supporting pedestals 11. Said straps have their lower ends attached to protruding portions 86 of sitter 17.

The above described sieve carrier 16 is further provided with suspension and inclination adjustment mechanisms. FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 show structures corresponding to such means.

Sifter 16 is suspended as follows. Axle 25 extends through and outside of supporting columns 11. Said axle slidably rests on slots 26 indented on lateral walls of said columns 11. A journal bearing 65 provided at upper end portions of bars 13 is inserted adjacent each end of axle 25. Lower end portions of bars 13 are attached to an upper portion of a journaled bell crank 67, said bell crank being pivotally joined to a protruding portion or bracket 72 on sieve carrier 16.

The lower end portions of a number of spring blades 27 are fixed to a lower end portion of the bell crank 67 as shown in FIGURE 4. The upper end portions of said spring blades 27 are in pressure contact engagement with a roller 28 of a stop device 68. This device 68 is attached by means of a bracket 72 to a wall of the central supporting column 11. Roller 28 is fixed at the end of an adjustable screw 70 displaceably and threadly inserted into said stop device 68. The above-described mechanism is operable in controlling the stroke displacement of sieve carrier 16.

A number of levers 24 are pivotally inserted, adjacent their midportions, on axles 29. A lower portion of said levers 24 are attached to said axle 25 as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 4. Levers 24 are intended to operatively control the inclination of bars 13 and consequently generally act as inclination adjustment means for sieve carrier 16.

At least one of said levers 24, at a point adjacent an upper end, is provided with a pin 30 insertable into any one of a number of perforations or apertures made on a side wall of pedestal 11. An elongated rod 23 or bar having each end attached to an upper portion of levers 24 is shown.

The above described suspension and inclination adjustment mechanisms for said sieve carrier 16 may be provided in pairs corresponding to respective left and righthand sides of the carrier. However, it should be noted that such a structure shown by 68 may optionally be utilized in one or more of four possible positions attached to said columns 11. Accordingly, where structures 68 are not utilized, the lower ends of bars 13 are inserted on protruding portions of brackets 72 of sieve carrier 16 by means of journal bearings 84.

The operation of the present invention will now be described. The particulate material to be purified is fed into the machine by way of feed chute 39. As stated earlier, this chute may, electively, be provided with a transparent acrylic plastic window 40 to facilitate observing the material.

The particulate material then falls into a conventional tray connected to diff rential arms, not shown. Said arms lower the tray when a predetermined amount of particulate material has been deposited thereon. Upon lowering of said tray, the material will flow over the edge thereof to the upper level sieve.

As particulate material falls upon said first sieve, air is suctioned through the sieves and said suction chamber structures 12. The stream of air is controlled by the adjustment of plates 55 which remain open only sufficiently to allow a determined amount of air to be impacted on the grain for generating a particle stratification by causing such particles to float in the air. Desired particulate material being heavier than those to be removed, shall remain on such air stratification at a lower level. Accordiagly, lighter materials such as bran, dust, obnoxious materials, etc. will arrange themselves at higher levels in relation to their weight and density.

Concurrently with the above, sieves 15, by the action of the impeller mechanism 14, are caused to vibrate in an inclined rearward direction, thus causing the material to advance over and through a number of sieve meshes or screens.

Eventua ly, due to its density and weight, desired heavier material shall overcome the air ressure of the upgoing air stream. Other material, not as dense, shall remain caught in an upper sieve mesh. Said sieve due to its inclination and vibration causes such material to advance to the outlet point of discharge chutes 42.

Light material suctioned by above-mentioned air stream is carried up to whom it is expelled through said discharge duct 41 located at the upper rear portion of the machine.

Heavy material capable of overcoming said stream and passin through said sieve meshes is collected on a sitter or product transporter 17. Said sifter or product transporter has been vibrating in a horizontal plane during all the purifying operation, while said sieves have been vibrating on an inclined plane.

The material collecting on said sitter, due to its horizontal vibration, will be d scharged outwardly thereof through a number of ducts 51 adjacent its ends.

Possible modifications and adaptations of the structures herein disclosed can be readily determined by those skilled in the art without departing from the fundamental principles of the invention. Consequently, although a specific embodiment has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those details except as may be required by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Wnat is claimed is:

1. A particulate material purifying machine comprising a frame member, at least one elongated air suction chamber carried by said frame member and having grain inlet means, said chamber adapted to separate relatively light material from said particulate material; sieve means extending in a substantially oblique orientation with respect to a horizontal plane below said suction chamber and adapted to separate relatively large material from said particulate material; sifting means for said particulate material spaced from and extending below said sieve means and including outlet means; drive means; first connecting means operatively connecting said sieve means to said drive means for vibrating said sieve means to effect move ment of said relatively large material outward from the lower end thereof; second connecting means operatively connecting said sifting means to said drive means for vibrating said sifting means and causing said particulate material to pass through said outlet means; and means resiliently mounting said drive means on said frame to isolate vibrations caused by said drive means from said frame.

2. The machine of claim 1, further comprising means to adjust said oblique orientation of said sieve means.

3. The machine of claim 1, wherein said sieve means includes a sieve carrier and at least one sieve.

4. The machine of claim 1, further comprising flexible means to adjustably limit the amplitude of vibration of said sieve means.

5. The machine of claim 1, further comprising additional outlet means for discharging said relatively large material from said lower end of said sieve means.

6. The machine of claim 1, wherein said drive means comprises a drive axle, means to rotate said axle, and a plurality of plates eccentrically mounted on said axle.

7. The machine of claim 6, wherein said sifting means extends in a substantially horizontal plane and wherein said second connecting means comprises at least one flexible suspending strap, one end of which is responsive to the effective reciprocal movement of a corresponding plate and the other end of which is fixed to said sifting means to vibrate same in said horizontal plane.

8. The machine of claim 6, wherein said first connecting means comprises at least one rod having one end operatively engaging a corresponding plate and responsive to the effective reciprocal movement thereof, and the other end fixed to said sieve means to vibrate same in said oblique orientation.

9. The machine of claim 1, wherein said means resiliently mounting said drive means with respect to said frame comprises at least one journal bearing rotatably supporting said drive axle and spring means resiliently mounting said journal bearing with respect to said frame.

It). The machine of claim 1, further comprising means for varying the flow of air through said air suction chamber.

11. The machine of claim 1, wherein said frame member includes a single vertically extending support pedestal mounted at each end of said chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRY B. THOR TON, Primary Examiner.

TIM R. MILES, Examiner. 

